Hawaii quake prompts volcanic eruptions

LOS ANGELES: A magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook Hawaii’s Big Island on Friday ( Saturday in Manila), prompting fresh eruptions of a volcano that has been spewing lava near residential areas,

The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 12:32 p.m. ( 2232 GMT) and was centered

Thursday after a series of tremors on the island.

“This is in almost exactly the same location as the deadly 1975 M 7.1 quake,” USGC said in a tweet.

That quake killed two people and injured 28.

Another 5.7-magnitude tremor hit the island earlier on Friday and authorities said they expect more seismic activity.

The quakes have prompted the

on the island, to erupt.

Drone and video footage showed orange magma gushing up from cracks in the ground and snaking through a wooded area.

Molten lava could also be seen bubbling up through cracks on streets in the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens neighborhood where residents were ordered to evacuate on Thursday.

The area is home to about 1,700 people and 770 structures. The broader district potentially impacted by the threat is home to some 10,000 people.

No injuries have been reported but several homes were said to have been destroyed or badly damaged on Friday, authorities said.

Officials urged any remaining residents to evacuate and warned of extremely high levels of toxic fumes.

“Elderly, young and people with respiratory issues need to comply with the mandatory evacuation order and leave the area,” a state-

Governor David Ige said residents were being housed in community centers until the danger from Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has passed.

Ige signed an emergency proclamation releasing disaster funds to the Big Island.

‘Fire curtain’

The lava outbreak came after on—a lot of earth and pressure and fire just moving around,” Osuna told Agence France-Presse.

Governor Ige activated the state’s National Guard troops, and told residents to pay heed to

In his emergency declaration, the governor noted the current - that tion in the Kapoho area

Geologist Janet Babb of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory told Agence France- Presse that scientists had been following an “intrusion of magma” down the rift zone since Monday afternoon in anticipation of a possible eruption.

Though the cracks from which lava was emitting had gone dormant, she emphasized that “the overall concern and the overall event has not ended.”

US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was mobilizing resources, as well as